Semua Bab Mr. CEO, Your Abandoned Wife Has Powerful Brothers: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Arvan POV I stood near the judges' table with a dark face. A few minutes ago, I had spoken with several judges to ensure Lara got the position she deserved. Hargrove Group was the main sponsor. My influence in this competition was quite large. But now, the situation had turned strange. The head judge looked awkward. Professor Harper stared at me with a clearly displeased look. Even several other judges appeared tense and whispered to each other. Something was wrong. "Sorry, Mr. Hargrove," the Head Judge said carefully. "But it seems there's... a problem we need to evaluate further before announcing first place." I frowned. "What problem?" The Head Judge glanced at the committee member standing beside him. A young woman with a tablet in her hand looked nervous. "A report came in a few minutes ago," the committee member said softly. "About... possible plagiarism in one of the finalists' works." My heart immediately tensed. Plagiarism? "Who?" I asked sharply. The committee me

Arvan swung his fist. I reflexively shut my eyes. But the blow never landed on my face. CRACK! The sound of a hard impact echoed through the corridor. Arvan's fist slammed into the wall right beside my head—only centimeters from my temple. I froze. The wall plaster cracked at the point of impact. Arvan's knuckles were scraped, a drop of blood seeping out slowly. But he didn't even wince. His breathing was heavy. His chest rising and falling. His body trapping me between the wall and his arm still clenched beside my head. "DAMN IT!" Arvan groaned in a hoarse voice full of frustration. My heart beat very hard. Breath caught in my throat. He didn't hit me. But he wanted to. I could see it in his eyes—wild fury that had almost lost control. For the first time in four years, this man had come so close to physically hurting me. And what made my chest tighten even more: it wasn't guilt I saw on his face. Only anger that he had nearly lost control in front of me. At that exact m

Arvan POV The car drove through the night streets. My hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, annoyed at Reyna who had caused so many problems. Lara sat beside me sobbing. Her body trembled. She had been crying since getting in the car. Her sobs sounded disappointed and desperate. I knew she would be ashamed and cornered by Reyna's accusations earlier. Fortunately, I managed to persuade and convince the judges and committee not to mention Lara's name as the plagiarist in front of the public. Kevin Hartwell, the representative from the CEO of Ashford Corporation, initially disagreed. The man insisted that transparency was part of the competition's integrity. But considering Hargrove Group's large contribution as the main sponsor of the event, he finally agreed after getting permission from Aldric Ashford himself. Thinking of Aldric's name made my anger peak even more. That man. The CEO of Ashford Corporation who let Reyna stay in his villa. Who gave her protection. Who even sen

Aldric and Seraphina looked at each other while smiling stiffly. Damian immediately sat in a chair while pouring wine into his own glass with hurried movements. "Strange? We're not strange!" Damian said quickly while gulping his wine. "You're the strange one! Why are you suddenly asking all sorts of questions?" I frowned. "I just want to know. Is that wrong?" "Not wrong," Seraphina answered while smiling too sweetly. "It's just that... well... our acquaintance is a bit busy. So they might be difficult to meet." "Oh." I nodded in understanding. "Then that's okay. I can meet them myself later when I start work." Aldric coughed slightly while reaching for his water glass. "Yes, that's a good idea. You'll definitely be able to adapt well without anyone's help." "But your acquaintance there," I said while looking at them curiously, "do they have a high position? I mean, being able to know information about cheating before it's announced means they're an important person?" Damian cho

The clock in the corner of the laptop screen showed eight o'clock in the evening as most employees began to leave. One by one, the room lights were turned off. The sound of keyboards and phones gradually disappeared until the design division floor became almost silent. I was still sitting at my desk. Stacks of blueprints were scattered left and right. Material samples filled my small desk. My head had been throbbing for an hour, but I kept forcing myself to work. I was redrawing the family room layout for the third time when a shadow stopped in front of my desk. I looked up. A young man stood there carrying two cups of coffee. "Still alive?" he asked casually while offering one cup toward me. I blinked several times before slowly accepting the cup. I didn't expect anyone would approach me at this company after being ignored all day. "Thank you..." "Kevin," he said while pulling an empty chair and sitting backward on it. "Lighting team." I nodded slowly while sipping the war